He was stabbed directly towards Chen Pingfan's chest!
A aura of close to the peak, at the fifth layer, erupted, and an invisible spiritual energy shield blocked the dagger outside his body.
Although it was only a moment's pause, it was enough for him to react.
He got up and delivered a fierce flying kick, sending the second soldier flying backwards, spitting out a mouthful of blood while still in the air.
Only one remained, but there was no time to dodge the dagger.
After all, they were all from the military, and their reaction speed was not something these freelancers could match. Their decisive judgment was their greatest trump card!
A ruthless glint flashed in Chen Pingfan's eyes. He shifted his body slightly, and the dagger neatly sank into his shoulder. However, the other party had no time to be happy.
A massive fist landed on his face.
*Slap!*
The last soldier instantly collapsed. Chen Pingfan had held back a bit with his final punch, not rendering the opponent unconscious.
He bent down, grabbed, and choked the opponent by the neck.
"Friendly fire, don't move if you don't want to die!"
Upon hearing the words "friendly fire," the soldier immediately gave up resisting.
"Damn it, brother, do you have to be so fierce? Just talk!"
Chen Pingfan ignored him and looked up at Li Chonglou, his expression freezing.
Over by the other three soldiers, two had already fallen to the ground, and Li Chonglou was effortlessly holding the last soldier by the neck.
"No way, you can get injured by this?"
Chen Pingfan's old face immediately turned red.
"Brother Li lives up to his reputation."
Li Chonglou rolled his eyes and, after making a gesture, one person led a soldier back into the woods.
In a dense jungle, two soldiers were thrown to the ground.
"Friendly fire, do you have to be so rough?"
Unexpectedly, neither soldier showed any sign of panic. One of them even calmly rubbed his backside.
For safety's sake, Li Chonglou had sealed their acupuncture points.
"It's good that you know we're friendly. Then let's get to the simple part, I'll ask you."
"I understand, I understand."
The soldier who spoke earlier grinned.
The subsequent events were surprisingly smooth. These soldiers on duty seemed to have received prior notification, answering almost every question without hesitation.
For some sensitive matters, they directly stated they could not disclose the information.
In about ten minutes, the two had a basic understanding of the situation in this area.
Of course, whether it was true or not was another matter.
Leaving the two soldiers where they were, Li Chonglou and Chen Pingfan walked aside.
"Brother Li, can they be trusted?"
"They should be, it's just basic information."
"So, as long as we leave this area, we can kill anyone we see?"
Li Chonglou nodded.
But then he added, "To be precise, beyond this area, killing people depends on your own judgment. If you kill the wrong person and are discovered, you might also lose your eligibility for the exam."
The most crucial rule in the rulebook everyone had memorized was the prohibition of harming fellow participants.
No matter how remote Donghai Island was, it was still Chinese territory, and these soldiers were all their own people.
"But how do we judge that?"
Chen Pingfan's head started to ache. From what the soldiers had told them, there were infiltrations from various factions between the three areas.
There was China, the Island Nation, and a deeply rooted dark force.
Donghai Island was a disputed territory internationally. The Island Nation, relying on international public opinion and covert assistance from other countries targeting China, had managed to sneak in during a period of international turmoil.
The complex situation on Donghai Island was inseparable from the Island Nation!
The dark forces, which had originally been hiding on Donghai Island, also rose up in rebellion as soon as outsiders entered, occupying a portion of the territory.
Thus, the current situation had formed.
The three factions were locked in a struggle, both overt and covert, with spies and infiltrators, making it impossible to ascertain their numbers. If they killed the wrong person outside the area, they would also be implicated.
This would definitely tie their hands!
However, in the face of Chen Pingfan's dilemma, Li Chonglou's attention was more focused on this complex relationship.
"Killing the wrong person is a minor issue, it can be resolved later. The key is this mission."
"What's the problem with the mission?"
Li Chonglou said gravely, "Do you think, given China's habits, they would allow a foreign power on their own territory?"
Chen Pingfan's expression froze.
"The way you put it, there really seems to be a problem. According to the guards, the three factions are clearly separated now, not engaging in infiltration. But why hasn't the General Bureau sent experts to clear them out in one fell swoop?"
Li Chonglou's expression had become solemn.
What Chen Pingfan was saying now was precisely what he had just realized. China was no longer the China of the past. As an ancient martial arts civilization and the only surviving ancient civilization, it had truly reached the pinnacle of the world since the spiritual energy revival!
However, due to its past experiences, it remained low-key, not undertaking any actions to conquer the world. It generally adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards international affairs.
But that did not mean they could be trampled upon!
As Chen Pingfan pondered his confusion, Li Chonglou suddenly thought of the underground world.
If only considering the strength of the surface world, China was undoubtedly the undisputed number one. But the existence of the underground world made everything full of variables.
The novel treasures alone were enough to explain everything.
For example, the soul bottle he obtained in the Lost Land.
The Lost Land was merely a small garden in the underground world.
"Brother Li, what are you thinking about?"
Chen Pingfan couldn't come up with any reliable way to deal with this issue. Seeing Li Chonglou so deep in thought, he couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing. Alright, we've got a rough understanding of the situation now. To know if all this is true or false, we'll have to compare."
"Compare?"
The down-to-earth phrasing made Chen Pingfan momentarily unable to react.
By the time Li Chonglou walked towards the soldiers again, he finally understood what he meant.
Chen Pingfan muttered, "This Brother Li, he truly is no ordinary person."
The two returned to the soldiers. The soldier who had been most cooperative earlier smiled and said, "What's up, brother? Can you let us go back now?"
Li Chonglou said calmly, "Not yet. Do you two know the situation of the defensive lines of the other two factions?"
"What do you want to do?"
"Brother, I advise you not to mess around. We have the backing of the mainland, so they dare not truly act for now, but..."
The expressions of the two suddenly turned serious, and they spoke with great solemnity.
Only then did Li Chonglou and Chen Pingfan realize that among the three areas, the defensive line on China's side was the weakest, with only around three to four layers of strength in the garrisoned personnel. But in the other two areas, it was completely different.
Their focus was on the defensive lines, with at least fifth-layer experts as garrisoned personnel, and their numbers were no less than double digits!